Why April Fool Day is Celebrated?

Every year on 1st April people celebrate April fool’s day. They do pranks on each other and have fun. Sometimes jokes are funny, and sometimes they make some embarrassing situations too. Even large enterprises also play pranks to their clients. Every year giant company Google plays pranks with us. So why this day is celebrated all over the world?

Why is First April considered as April Fool day?

Why first April considered as a fool’s day the certain reason is unknown but there are some stories. Some of them think it is because of change of seasons summer is in its beginning so to celebrate this they decide to make it as a fools day. Some people links playing tricks on 1st April with Geoffrey Chaucer’s TheCanterbury Tales from 1392. In one of its story nun’s priest tale, A Fox plays a trick with a proud Rooster Chauntecleer on syn March bigan thritty dayes and two. Although Chaucer may have talked about 32 days after March but people took it as 32 March hence 1st April.

Change of Seasons

Summer is coming

People also connect April fool with the change in seasons. Many festivals are celebrated during this period to celebrate season change like Holi Hindu Festival comes around 1st April. An ancient Roman festival Hilaria is also celebrated on 25th March. Similar Jewish festival Purim was also celebrated in these days. These are the reasons why historians think that 1st April must be celebration related to change in seasons.

Change in Calendar

In the year 1582 Pope Gregory XIII ordered that new calendar should be followed instead of Julian calendar. In Julian calendar, the new year was celebrated on 1st April. The new Gregorian calendar shifted new year’s day to 1st January. France adopted this calendar at very first. One of the most popular explanation tells that some people refused to change to the new year and some were unaware of it. So those people who still were making new year on 1st April were considered as fools. People made fun out of those individuals who took a traditional approach to this new calendar.

Different Opinion

Some historians have the different take on this explanation. England adopted Gregorian calendar in 1752 but April fool’s day was very popular in England even before they adopted Gregorian calendar. These are just speculations no historical evidence is available to prove this.

Constantine and Krugle

Famous historian Joseph Boskin, a professor from the University of Boston, gives another explanation according to him this tradition started from the reign of Constantine. One day some of the jesters from his court went to Roman Emporer and told him that they can run this empire better. Constantine amused and decided to give his empire to one of his own jester Krugle. Krugle passed the law that 1st April should be made as a day of stupidity. From that day it became the tradition.

This news was published in various newspapers by the Associate Press (AP) in 1983. There was a catch. After many weeks AP found that this story was a spoof and they were made April fool.

Celebrated Across the Globe

Although no historical facts are available on this day but this day is celebrated in all over the world. People enjoys this day by making other people fool. This day should be celebrated with a healthy spirit and you should also enjoy it.